Yesterday, after finishing my flights for the day and doing some engine run-ups, one of our mechanics mentioned he knew some of the guys flying the Antonov AN-12 that was parked at one of the other stands. Naturally, I asked if he could see whether my colleague and I could take a look inside...

You will have to excuse the quality as I was only carrying my smartphone, but the best camera is the one you have with you.

Now, I fly 25-30 year old aircraft myself and I’m used to analogue gauges. But this is simply another world entirely. So... many... gauges! Behind the cockpit is a little kitchen and a sitting area with some benches and a table. The crew can basically live relatively comfortably in the plane itself when needed. The cockpit and ‘living’ area is also the only compartment that is pressurized, so you step through a decent sized pressure bulkhead to get there.

If you want to see higher res versions, you can head over to my Flickr page.